Gustav Anton von Wietersheim
| Gustav Anton von Wietersheim | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 February 1884 Breslau |
| Died |
25 April 1974 (aged 90) Wallersberg bei Bonn |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1902–42 |
| Rank | General der Infanterie |
| Commands held | 29th Infantry Division (Motorized), 1936-1938; XIV Panzer Corps ("Panzercorps Wietersheim"), 1938-1942; Chief of Staff, Second Army Group, 1939 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Gustav Anton von Wietersheim (11 February 1884 – 25 April 1974) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He led the XIV Motorized Corps (after 21 June 1942, XIV Panzer Corps) from its creation in 1938 until 14 September 1942 during the Battle of Stalingrad.
Born in Breslau in 1884, Wietersheim attended a Kadettenanstalt (an institute for military cadets) and began his military career in 1902. From 1903 until the end of World War I, Wietersheim continued to serve in the army and was awarded the Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd Class.
After the war, Wietersheim had two simultaneous General Staff assignments as a captain in the staff of the 3rd Division, and also the general staff of the XXV Reserve Corps. He was promoted to major and was made an Abteilungsleiter, or department manager, at the Reich Defense Ministry (Reichswehrministerium), the governmental organ that determined the overarching policy of the Reichswehr in relation to the Weimar Republic.
During the early 1930s, Wietersheim served as the Chief of Staff of the 3rd Division and continued his work with the Defense Ministry. He was promoted to Oberst (colonel) in November 1932 and to Generalmajor (major general) in July 1934. When the Defense Ministry was reorganized as the War Ministry (Reichskriegministerium) under Adolf Hitler, chancellor of Germany and dictator since 1933, in 1935 to match Hitler's simultaneous dissolution of the Reichswehr and creation of the greatly expanded, war-oriented Wehrmacht, Wietersheim was made the Oberquartiermeister I (O. Qu. I) of the General Staff. This position, "immediately subordinated to the Chief of the General Staff," entailed the control of several departments of General Staff, "carrying command of the operations, transport and supply sections." As the General Staff was put on a war footing, this high-level logistics command was a "key position," and von Wietersheim, "a brilliant Generalmajor," held this role from March 1935 until later-Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, at that time junior to von Wietersheim, took over for him in October 1936. During this time Wietersheim had been promoted to Generalleutnant, and, after handing over his post as O. Qu. I to Manstein, he took over command of the 29th Infantry Division on 1 October 1936— his first real position outside the internal command structure of the General Staff.
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